Amarillo—Inspiration for artistic endeavors come from all corners of the earth and the imagination.
A trip to Italy was the inspiration for a piece of art at Blessed Sacrament Church that Bishop Patrick J. Zurek will bless at 6:00pm prior to a Saturday, Dec. 12 Mass on the church campus at 4112 Southeast 25
th Street.
Father Haider Quintero, pastor at Blessed Sacrament, led a pilgrimage to Italy last spring, which included parishioner Nicolas Robles.
“He saw so much art and he had an idea in mind on what he could do for the parish,” said Father Quintero. “We were in a little town called Orvieto, where one of the miracles of the Eucharist took place. He was inspired at that moment there and that’s how this idea came about.”
The idea became a chalice and host that was placed in front of the parish on Nov. 25.
Robles, along with his wife Lily and his sons Isaac, Alex and Rafael, began work on the chalice and host on July 4 and finished on Nov. 24. Keep in mind, this was not an after-work hours project for the Robles family: the family invested an estimated 1,040 hours on this endeavor, working anywhere from eight to twelve hours a day.
“We are aware of how God works in the hearts of men, and in this case, Nicolas,” said Father Quintero. “Nicolas was able to stop doing his job, which he needs to survive and provide for his family. Out of his love for Christ and his Church, he just decided to stop working and really dedicated himself to finish this project.”
Both the chalice and the host for the project are made out of rebar and metal. The chalice is 17 feet, four inches tall and the host is eight feet in diameter. The chalice and host were elevated on top a three-foot concrete stand.
“Surrounding the chalice and the host are six columns, which will have plaques made out of cast aluminum,” said Father Quintero. “Five of the plaques will have the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, so people will have the opportunity to come visit and pray the Rosary, if they want to. The sixth column will contain the acknowledgements for all the many people who have helped make this a reality.”
Father Quintero mentioned that all the materials for the chalice and the host were donated by the Robles family and the surroundings were donated by Blessed Sacrament parishioners. Juan Alamo of Alamo Brothers donated the concrete work and labor. Art Mendoza of AMP Electric donated all the electric work and labor. Leonel Alamo of Alamo Brothers donated the synthetic grass.
The new chalice and host art for Blessed Sacrament Church comes at a busy time for the Blessed Sacrament campus. The parish noted its 50
th anniversary on Dec. 5 and is in the midst of construction of a new parish hall. Dedication of the new hall and observance of the parish’s 50
th anniversary is set for Saturday, March 19.
“This monument is being erected in honor of our Merciful Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist,” said Father Quintero. “We are under the patronage of the Blessed Sacrament and in this case, this monument is really a place of beauty, pride and joy forever for all of us, but mainly it is for the Glory of God.”